Is it safe to....

Is it safe to have sex without a condom?
Until you are in a long/stable relationship it is safest to assume that sex without a condom is unsafe and will put you at risk. Even if you are on the contraceptive pill you will still not be protected from sexually transmitted infections so you should still use condoms.

When you do finally feel that you are ready for sex without a condom it is advisable that both partners get checked out for STIs because you can't tell if someone is infected just by looking at them.

Is it safe to have sex during your period?
It depends on what you mean by "Is it safe"! If you mean can you have sex during your period without a condom and not get pregnant the answer is NO! Many people think that you can't fall pregnant during your period but this is not the case and it is possible to get pregnant if you do not use contraception.

If on the other hand you mean is it medically safe the answer is yes - it is perfectly OK to carry on having sex during your period.

Whether or not you do have sex during your period is very much up to personal choice.....for some people it is OK but for others it is a definite no no. Just stick to what you are comfortable with and bear in mind the comments above.

Is it safe to put your penis inside a girl's vagina without ejaculating?
Only if you are wearing a condom! If you are not wearing a condom you should keep your penis away from the girl's vagina because even a small amount of sperm on you penis can cause a pregnancy...... there may be sperm on your penis even before you ejaculate so it is always best to wear a condom.

Also this kind of intimate contact for even a few seconds can be enough to pass on a
sexually transmitted infection .

Is it safe to perform oral sex?
Oral sex is the stimulation of your partner's sexual organs using your mouth. If your partner had a sexually transmitted infection and you didn't protect yourself the infection could be passed to you during oral sex.

So if you are not 100% sure about your partner (by both of you taking tests for STIs) you should always use protection........ If a penis is being stimulted it should have a condom on to be safe and if it is the vagina that is being stimulated you should use something like a Dental Dam (a square of latex that is placed over the vagina).

Finally - you cannot get pregnant from swallowing semen.

Is it safe to have anal sex?
If done gently and with plenty of lubrication anal sex should not be dangerous. However the lining of the anus is very delicate and it is possible to tear it during anal sex which could result in bleeding and infection. There is also a risk that a larger tear could develop and faeces (poo!) could be pushed through the tear and into the body instead of out of the anus. This could obviously result in some serious complications.

Sexually transmitted infections can be passed on through anal sex so a condom should be worn. This will also protect against pregnancy....... even though you can't get pregnant from anal sex the fact that the anal opening is very close to the vagina means that there is a risk of semen leaking from the anus to the vagina and causing a pregnancy if a condom is not used.

Another danger of anal sex is that there is a lot of bacteria in the anus that can cause nasty infections if transferred to the vagina. Therefore anything inserted into the anus should be washed before putting it in the vagina.

So taking all of these points into account it is impossible to say that anal sex is perfectly safe and if you do it you should take a great deal of care.

Is it safe to have sex with several partners?
Most people with have more than one sexual partner during their life and if you take precautions against pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections you should not have problems. Taking precautions is very important because you only need to have unprotected sex once to ruin your life and the more times you have unprotected sex the more times you are at risk.

We have talked about physical risk but what about emotional risk? Sex is very complex and produces many emotions. Generally these emotions are very pleasant but they can turn out bad if something goes wrong with the relationship. Therefore if you have sex with lots of partners without thinking about the emotional damage you might be causing yourself you could be putting your self at risk.

For all of these reasons it is safest not to have sex to readily with lots of partners but think carefully about it and only have sex when you feel ready and are sure of your physical and emotional safety.

Is it safe to have sex if you are pregnant?
Many couples continue to have a very active sex life throughout most of the term of the pregnancy and providing you think about what you are doing and are careful, it shouldn't cause any problems for the mother or the baby.

If however any complications arise during the pregnancy you should be guided by your Doctor as to whether it is safe to continue having sex or not.

Is it safe to touch a person who has a sexually transmitted infection?
Normal everyday contact with a person who has an STI is perfectly safe and it is only contact of a sexual nature that puts you at risk of catching an STI from an infected person.

Mouth to mouth kissing can transfer some STIs from one person to another but generally speaking the contact has to be of a very intimate nature. Genital to genital or genital to mouth contact will transmit STIs as will touching an infected person's genitals then touching your own with the same finger or object.

Don't forget many STIs have no symptoms at all so until you are sure that your partner is 100% uninfected you should avoid the kind of contact that can transmit infection.

Is it safe to have dry sex?
Dry sex is when two people simulate sex by rubbing their bodies together without taking their clothes off thus not allowing their sexual organs to come in direct contact with each other.

This form of sexual behaviour is generally pretty safe and will not normally cause any problems for the people involved. However like most things there is always a "but"....... It you did this in such a way that either the pre-ejaculatory fluid (pre-cum), semen from an ejaculation or vaginal fluids came in contact with the other person's genitals it could result in an STI being passed from an infected person to another person. For example if two people were having dry sex with their underwear on and their underwear become saturated with the fluids mentioned above there could be a risk if the infected person's damp underwear were pushed against the genital area of the uninfected person.

It has to be said that the possibility of infection in this way is much less likely than if direct contact was made or if penetrative sex took place.